What Microphone to use?

[JohnPartridge]

Hi, I will start by explaining that I am a Lighting Tech so my knowledge on Microphones is limited.

 

Anyway... Coming up I have a show which I have done for many years. In the past for the presenters on stage I have used standard Hand held Radio Mic's.

 

Now the problem I have this year is that these Radio Mic's aren't available so I am looking for a solution to the problem that I need to amplify the presenters and any kids voices if they are brought up on stage (*shudders*). The Size of the stage is around 6m x 3m, so the coverage doesn't need to be that large.

 

Now Ive heard of Boundary/Shotgun/Overhead Mic's before and know basically what each of them do, but I am unsure of which would be suitable for my requirements.

 

My Thoughts would be to hire 2 Boundary Mic's and have them on the front of the stage SR & SL, would this be fine?

 

So if someone could please tell me which would be best to use and where ideally the Mic's should be.

 

(I have Phantom power available, the Mic's will be hired in and my local hire company has all of the above Mic's)

 

Many Thanks!

John Partridge

[Simon Lewis]

John,

 

if you've used handhelds before, is it possible to used wired versions this time? With some careful cable management, you would get much netter sound than shotguns etc., etc. Furthermore, you could use standard SM58s etc., which woud lbe cheap to hire.

 

Simon

[JohnPartridge]

I did think about just using 1 or 2 SM58s on leads, however the event organisers have said that this cant be done, and that its wireless only. *sighs*

 

Many Thanks

John Partridge

[paulears]

If everybody liked the 'up front' sound of handhelds, they may well be very disappointed by any attempt to use more distant mics - boundaries would no doubt be best - but volume before feedback is much less than a handheld. I'd hire a couple in - cheap enough nowadays. Keep it simple.

[Simon MFR]

If youre using OH mics, the distance between the source and the mic will probably need to be within at least 2 feet to make any audible difference, but you will be liable to pick up every other sound as the gain will need to be up fairly high. Maybe use OH mics AND maybe a wireless lav....why cant you use 58's?

[Sound Man]

I personally have not been impressed with boundary mics when I have heard them, all they’ve picked up is the actors moving around on stage. I've even heard of children walking on them at a school show much to the sound man's disgust.

 

I have had the best results with three 58's on boom stands at a suitable height across the front of the stage, one centre stage with the others either side. This gives an even coverage of the stage as the actors move around. I get the best results when I mute any unused mics. For example if someone is singing a solo centre stage, I mute the other two on the mixer. Its important to keep the PA speakers in front of the stage mics. If that can not be avoided pan the left mic more to the right speaker and the right mic more to the left speaker. As these mics would be running at just under feedback level there would be no need for the actors to have to get close up to them, it sounds more natural if they stand back from them.

 

I hope that was of some help to you.

 

 

David

[paulears]

3 58s on stands work, but 1. look awful, 2. require plenty of gain on the desk, and 3. because of the cardioid pattern, a person walking accross the stage goes up, down, up down in volume very noticably.

 

Boundary mics for general cover work best in virtually every scenario. Stand mics work, but if you compare what they pick up with other techniques you will see why they appear to work so well - they have very litle at the bottom end, so feedback appears lower - but the sound is very thin and weedy. HF is also limited - so you're left with just the mids, which let you have volume, but not quality. Many people, including me, used a row of rifles - which I was quite happy with, until I switched to pcc's. cardioid mics, and more noticably hypers and lobars have pretty awful comb filtering artefacts when many are in operation on a typical width.

 

Boundary type mics are made of metal - so if accidentally danced on by the twirlies, they tend to survive ok - the weak point is the connector - a heel there can be fatal! Mind you, did a circus once, with rifles around the inner of the ring - sombody landed on one and snapped it in half!

[JohnPartridge]

Ok thanks for the replys so far.

 

So having 2 boundary Mic's along the front will be fine? What sort of pickup will I get will it be good enough?

 

Would overheads be better?

 

Many Thanks

John Partridge

[Panzerman]

Um, why not hire the radio mics you want from somewhere else, where they are available?

[Bobbsy]

Ok thanks for the replys so far.

 

So having 2 boundary Mic's along the front will be fine? What sort of pickup will I get will it be good enough?

 

Would overheads be better?

 

Depends on what you mean by "good enough". For a bit of subtle reinforcement, yeah they'll help. Will they give you the sort of sound you're used to with handheld radio mics up close to the mouth, never in a million years.

 

Would overheads be better? No, probably even worse.

 

The long and short of it is, if you want the sort of sound you're used to, you either need to bite the bullet (bite the budget?) and rent the gear your used to. If this isn't possible and you want the same sound, then put up with wired mics and just be careful with cable management.

 

Any of the other solutions will provide you with a bit of subtle reinforcement but nothing more.

 

Bob

[SeanT]

What is your budget? I'd recommend at the very least hiring in some tie clips for each of the "presenters" and one or two handhelds so the presenters can hand them to the kids to use if the kids can't be mic'd up - there is no substitute for getting a mic close to someone! What are the kids going to be doing that needs to be picked up? Singing? If so then some plate type boundary mics would do nicely, but if people are talking they need more pickup.

[Shez]

So having 2 boundary Mic's along the front will be fine? What sort of pickup will I get will it be good enough?

 

Three would be better - most important speeches will be delivered centre stage so you do really need one in the middle.

 

'58s at a distance usually sound pants simply because they're designed to be used very close up & are just thin & weedy at anything more than a couple of inches.

 

When you're looking at boundary mics, make sure they are actual PCC160s. There are various other types out there (including the ubiquitous tandy PZM) which are a different kettle of fish and won't work well in this application. You'll see PCCs at the front of a lot of pro stages (generally as a supplement to radios) for a good reason - they do work well but are only one component of the system; everything else needs to be set up well & appropriately too for it all to work. Speaker placement, dispersion & frequency response are crucial.